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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26722117">Kill the Queen</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Renookie/pseuds/Renookie'>Renookie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star vs. The Forces Of Evil</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Rating May Change, Tags Contain Spoilers, Tags May Change, but aren't all of my fics?, he's the secret heir to the throne so oof, it's really more of a ruin-it, marco is part butterfly, marco is part monster, not really but I can pretend</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:56:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,705</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26722117</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Renookie/pseuds/Renookie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>From meeting magical transfer student Star Butterfly to traveling through dimensions, Marco Diaz's life has been flipped upside down.</p><p>But, when Star was in danger, he did what he had to. It leaves him with two red moons on his cheeks and innumerable questions.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Marco Diaz &amp; Original Monster Character, No Romantic Relationship(s), Star Butterfly &amp; Marco Diaz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. dealing with the dark</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>[ 37 years ago • unknown, Mewni ]</p><p>She stood in the large, daunting cave like a rabbit in an open field; buzzing with adrenaline and ready to bolt at a moment's notice. Then, she sighed and continued down the passage. Stalactites jutted from the ceiling like teeth and dripped water into her hair. The wetness seeped into everything in the cave, and if she wasn't quick, she would be soaked.</p><p>The girl had a single objective, one that made her shudder. This cavern held a being that brought dishonor to her lineage and fear to citizens—and she was about to beg her for help.</p><p>There was time to reconsider...</p><p>She shook her head at the thought. This being, a member of the royal family, knew about the threat she was facing personally. She would have the most knowledge about stopping it. But, the same reason she trusted her with a solution was the same reason to think she wouldn't provide it. The girl didn't have time to waste.</p><p>Then, there she was: the (ex) queen of darkness herself. She was encased in a pure, crystalline material that was transparent like glass. It preserved her perfectly; the ex-queen looked the same as she had in portraits. She couldn't have been much older than the girl, possibly around twenty. Her hair was short, barely at her shoulders, and her face was round and soft.</p><p>The girl took a breath to ready herself and held out her wand (an ornate handle topped with a blue crystal heart) to cast the most difficult spell of her life. Though she had read the forbidden chapter the queen of darkness wrote, she couldn't test the spell out for herself.</p><p>The magic binding the crystal around the ex-queen was weaker than ever, but so was the girl. There was something terribly wrong with magic on Mewni, but even the high commission couldn't find a cause.</p><p>She felt the hum of her wand charging in her veins, even if it was milder than it should have been. The cave flashed white as the spell fired and she closed her eyes. Its power nearly knocked her over, but she planted her feet to keep steady.</p><p>When she opened her eyes, the ex-queen was blinking back at her, the top half of her body free from the crystal.</p><p>"I need your help." The girl said.</p><p>The ex-queen tried to free her arms to no avail. She sighed. "And I need yours."</p><p>"What do you mean?" The girl asked.</p><p>"I want to be free."</p><p>The girl shuffled nervously. "I-I can't do that."</p><p>"Didn't you just—?"</p><p>"That's different!" She said indignantly. "I can't do it again."</p><p>(That may have been a lie. She didn't want to free her.)</p><p>"Then, let's make a deal," The ex-queen said, finally freeing a hand. She offered it to her. The glove had come off, and underneath them was pale skin with glowing, purple veins that grew larger as they reached her fingers. It was a disgusting purplish color, the color of dark magic, as if it had become one with her.</p><p>"But that wouldn't... it couldn't..."</p><p>"A pact between two queens can surpass anything."</p><p>Bullshit... probably. What would happen if one queen didn't uphold her end of the bargain? Could she risk it? The queen of darkness was stuck here forever. She couldn't free herself.</p><p>"Do you know any spells that can kill an immortal?" The girl asked.</p><p>The ex-queen's eyes widened. "I do. What do you..." She paused, blinking wearily as if she remembered something she'd rather have forgotten. "Need it for?"</p><p>"The King of Monsters. He's leading an army to us. They're septarians. We've tried everything, but we can't kill them." She said.</p><p>"I-I do. But, in return, I want my freedom," The ex-Queen said. She held out her hand again.</p><p>The girl took it. "So, you teach me the spell, and I free you?"</p><p>She nodded.</p><p>The girl shook her hand. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, it blossomed with purple light. A ribbonlike projection wrapped around their hands and sunk into the girl's flesh, staining her hands the same ugly purple as the ex-queen's.</p><p>There was only one problem—the ex-queen never said when she should be freed. When she left the cave, the girl was determined to never see her again.</p><p> </p><p>[ outside the royal castle, Mewni ]</p><p>The girl stood before the Monster King's army, wand in hand. They stared back at her, laughing and grinning.</p><p>The one closest to the Monster King stepped forward. He was lean and tall (unlike the king, who was broad and muscular) and wore the same clothing as all of the other soldiers. But, there was something different in his eyes; a cold, calculating fury that took her seriously but still was amused.</p><p>Then, he spoke. "It doesn't work. You've tried to before."</p><p>The girl ignored his words as the familiar buzz of magic returned. As he continued to talk, she aimed at his hand. She wouldn't kill if she didn't have to; all she needed was a demonstration.</p><p>Unlike the decrystalizing spell, this one didn't move her at all. However, as the light gathered at her wand expanded into a beam, it was like there was an earthquake underneath her skin.</p><p>When the sensation faded, she opened eyes that she didn't remember closing. The septarian stared back at her, wide-eyed and sans one finger. It didn't regenerate.</p><p>So, it worked.</p><p>She turned her aim to the Monster King, right for his heart.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The first note got deleted for some reason. Oh well.</p><p>The first few chapters of this were written in about... 2019ish. While going through my unfinished fics on WattPad, this one got spared.</p><p>If you’d like for this to be continued, please let me know so I can make sure to put it into my schedule. Feedback gives me motivation, which I’ve been lacking for this fic for a while.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. weird n wild</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>[ modern day • Echo Creek, Earth ]</p><p>Monday—today—no quizzes, homework all done.</p><p>Tuesday—math quiz. It wasn't a difficult unit, so he might be able to scoot by without studying.</p><p>Wednesday—English test on The Great Gatsby. Mrs. Rosewood's tests were always easy if you read the book, and he did.</p><p>Thursday——</p><p>Marco was planning his week when his parents' voices echoed quietly from the floor below. He stopped at the top of the stairs.</p><p>"I think it'll be good for him," His mother said.</p><p>W-what? Probably just some summer camp or something, right? Maybe they were moving him to honors?</p><p>"But what if he doesn't like her?" His father asked.</p><p>So, it was another exchange student. For some reason, they always found their way to his family—even when they weren't staying with them.</p><p>But, what was so special about this one?</p><p>"Then we'll figure it out. They said there's nowhere else they can send her." His mother said. "We can't just refuse."</p><p>Oh... well, that changed things.</p><p>He opened his phone to check the time: 7:15. His bus arrived at 7:20.<br/>
Marco went down the rest of the stairs.</p><p>"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," He said, making sure to catch their attention.</p><p>They smiled nervously at him and returned the greeting, but Marco was already in the kitchen. He grabbed a cereal bar, then slung his bag onto his back. He checked the time again—7:17–and sighed. If he was quick, he might make it in time, but it was a long shot.</p><p>Marco said goodbye to his parents as he left the kitchen and headed to the door, twisting the cool knob as quickly as he could.</p><p>But, all the speed in the world couldn't keep him from missing the bus that morning.</p><p>[ The royal castle, Mewni ]</p><p>"Let's see if I can cast a fire spell!" Star said excitedly. There was probably something in her family's spell book, but it was in the library, and that was rooms away... plus, it wouldn't be as fun as making it up.</p><p>She took a step back from the fireplace and imagined the spell she wanted to cast. Once she felt the wand begin to hum, she yelled its name. "Flaming Marshmallow Blast!"</p><p>As expected, flaming marshmallows flew from the wand into the fireplace. However, not as expected, said marshmallows also landed on the rug, table, and floor. Star went rigid as the room lit on fire.</p><p>"Uhhh... I can fix this!" She assured herself. "Starfish Tsunami!"</p><p>A tidal wave of water and starfish spawned from the wand and filled the room. Star held her breath as the sound of crashing water filled her ears, her blonde hair waving in the cold brine.</p><p>This was fine, she told herself. This was fine.</p><p>Suddenly, her back was to the floor. Air rushed into her lungs and she looked up at her savior: her parents. Her mother scowled at her, while her father stood to the side, concern in his eyes. She giggled nervously.</p><p>"Hi... mom. Hi... dad," She said.</p><p>Her father helped her up while her mother spoke.</p><p>"Star?"</p><p>Star turned to her. "Yeah?"</p><p>"We have something to tell you."</p><p>Oh, no. It can't be! The looks on their faces said it all. Dread boiled in Star's stomach.</p><p>"Don't send me to St. Olga's, please!" She said.</p><p>"We're not sending you to St. Olga's, Star," Her mother said. "But you will be continuing your training outside of Mewni. We think the experience will do you some good."</p><p>Relief washed over Star like the Starfish Tsunami she cast a few moments ago.</p><p>"But, if you're not sending me to St. Olga's, where am I going?" She asked.</p><p>[ Echo Creek High, Earth ]</p><p>When Marco was called to the office, he had the sneaking suspicion that it had to do with the "her" that his parents had been taking about. However, he didn't expect her to be like this.</p><p>She was about his age with long, blonde hair that almost went to her hips. It was so thick he thought it was a wig at first, but there was no way a wig would look that soft. Her eyes were bright blue, and the cerulean dress she wore complemented them perfectly. She had pure white boots and magenta leggings (or were they socks? Tights? A nightmarish combination of all three? Marco couldn't tell). To top it all off, she wore a red devil horn headband and held a wand that looked like something a kid would get at Great Wolf Lodge fused with a Christmas decoration.</p><p>Needless to say, she was full-on magical girl. Marco frowned.</p><p>"So, uh, why am I here?" He asked, fully expecting the answer he received.</p><p>"This is Star Butterfly, our newest transfer student." The principal said.</p><p>(Yikes, even the name fit the vibe.)</p><p>He continued, "You're a responsible student, Marco. I trust that you can show her around the school."</p><p>"But what about my schedule?" Marco asked.</p><p>"We made sure you two had the same one. Otherwise, we would've called someone else." The principal said.</p><p>"Ok," Marco said. Well, it was time to introduce himself. He turned to the girl. "Hi, Star."</p><p>"Hi, Marco!" She said, holding the o longer than she should've.</p><p>"Let's get going," Marco said quietly.</p><p>So, he took a few minutes to show her the hallways before they returned to class. She seemed specifically interested in the light bulbs, which confused Marco to no end. Then, the kicker—</p><p>"What kind of magic is powering these... ceiling thingies?"</p><p>Marco stopped. "The uh... the light bulbs?"</p><p>"Yeah! Light bulbs!" She said light bulbs as if it was a foreign word.</p><p>"They're powered by electricity."</p><p>She stared at him like he was insane. "How do you trap the lightning in them?"</p><p>Where was she from? Some medieval kingdom? How should he explain?</p><p>"Um, chemistry," He said.</p><p>She giggled. "I thought you were gonna say magic... but there's no magic here, right?"</p><p>"N-no. Magic doesn't exist." Marco said.</p><p>"Oh, really?" Star said, holding her wand in the air. "Then explain this—Laser Puppies!"</p><p>Suddenly, her wand glowed. Four puppies jumped out of the wand, each with a little bark. Marco jumped back as one shot a laser at the school's trophy case.</p><p>"Uhhh... Star?" He said nervously.</p><p>She bent down to pet one of the puppies, cooing at it.</p><p>"Star!" Marco yelled.</p><p>She looked up. "Yes, Marco?"</p><p>"Put the puppies away," Marco said.</p><p>"Can't," She said.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"I can't. I don't know how."</p><p>"You what?"</p><p>One of the puppies shot an exit sign down as Marco stared in horror.</p><p>"Marco, I don't know how! Can't you hear me?"</p><p>Nope nope nope nope nope nope—</p><p>"What's going on here?"</p><p>Oh, no. It was Miss Skullnick. She was the strictest teacher in school. From her rotund, imposing form to the way her brow wrinkled and her nostrils twitched, she had the perfect death glare. If ogres existed, Miss Skullnick was one.</p><p>"M-Miss Skullnick?" Marco squeaked.</p><p>Star tossed her wand like a baton. "Oh! I was just showing Marco my laser puppies!"</p><p>"Pets aren't allowed in school." Miss Skullnick said in her low, raspy voice.</p><p>"We can take them home!" Marco said, the words mashing into one another. "Just don't give us detention, please!"</p><p>A detention with Miss Skullnick was a death sentence. (Plus, Marco didn't think he could spend even more time at school with Star than he already had to.)</p><p>"What's detention?" Star said.</p><p>"The most powerful punishment a teacher can give to a student," Marco borderline whispered.</p><p>Star grabbed his hand and ran, completely ignoring the fact that he was only a few inches from the ground as she sprinted. He struggled to catch his footing.</p><p>"Star! What are you doing?" Marco whined.</p><p>"Saving us from detention," Star said like a girl on a mission. "Now, stay quiet! We need to outrun the authorities!"</p><p>Uh... what? Things just kept getting better and better, didn't they?</p><p>"You mean Miss Skullnick?" Marco asked.</p><p>"Yes, the lady with the troll nose!"</p><p>Ogre, Marco corrected her mentally. The lady with the ogre everything.</p><p>—</p><p>They were a few streets away from the school when Star stopped.</p><p>"Star?" Marco asked.</p><p>She let go of his hand. He scrambled to his feet only to see a floating horse head staring at him.</p><p>"Who is this?" It asked in a feminine voice.</p><p>"I-I'm Marco," Marco said weakly, the statement sounding more like a question than a fact.</p><p>"Oh, well, that's very cool, earth turd, but I'm talking to Star." It—she, Marco told himself, probably a she—said. "I heard you were on Earth and I thought, 'Oh my gosh! My bestie is stuck in the boring dimension!' So, I—"</p><p>"Ponyhead!" Star said, hugging her. Then, her face fell. "Hide us."</p><p>"From what?" She said.</p><p>"The authorities! They're going to give us a detention!" Star said.</p><p>"A what?"</p><p>"A detention! I don't know what it is but it sounds horrible!" Star said.</p><p>"Oh! I gotchu!" Ponyhead said. She pulled a pair of scissors from the back of her mouth. Marco fought the urge to gag.</p><p>Then, she swiped the scissors across the air near them, only it didn't hit air. The world around them tore and a white void glowed from within the break.</p><p>"What is that?" Marco asked, his hands shaking.</p><p>"No time to talk, Marco! Get in!" Star yelled, then shoved him into the void.</p><p>It went from absolute brightness to pitch black. Everything spun and suddenly, Marco found himself flying face first into the ground. He caught himself a moment before contact, realizing that the ground beneath his hands was soft like a pillow.</p><p>Suddenly, he was yanked up by his hood. He let out a yelp as he as forced to his feet.</p><p>"Geez, Marco! You'd think I was a monster or something!" Star said from behind him.</p><p>"You almost choked me." Marco complained, still slightly out of breath.</p><p>"Dang? Earth turd's still alive?" Ponyhead said from behind him. "I thought going through the portal killed him."</p><p>What was this? Make fun of Marco day?</p><p>"Thank you, but I'm very much alive," Marco said sardonically.</p><p>"Sheesh, Marco—" Ponyhead said his name like it was an insult. "I didn't mean to offend you."</p><p>Ohoho... she totally did. Marco was beginning to despise this magical horse head as much as he despised wet socks.</p><p>—</p><p>They had spent the last few hours hopping dimensions, and Marco began to notice a pattern. Before Ponyhead made them leave, she began to get jumpy. She'd look out the corner of her eyes and stop doing whatever she was doing, whether that was dancing or making a snide comment towards Marco.</p><p>What was she hiding?</p><p>When she began to herd them away from the group, he was determined to find out.</p><p>"Come on, Star! This place is boringg!" Let's go somewhere else!" She said.</p><p>"Huh. I thought it was cool." Star said.</p><p>Marco put his plan into action, making his voice sound a thousand times more chipper than he felt. "I do, too! How about we stay a little longer?"</p><p>He took Star's hand and led her back to the dance floor, smirking at Ponyhead on the way. The first thing Marco noticed was that Star could dance—like, dance dance. He could hardly keep up. If the girl weren't so annoying, he would've admired her abilities.</p><p>Her hair flew like a flurry of snow as she danced wildly to the beat, her dress swishing with each movement. She had a small, cheery smile on her face, and her eyes sparkled with joy. Marco had to remind himself that this was the same annoying girl who had dragged him out of school that day, the same girl that was going to earn him a detention—but for a moment, she was a pretty stranger, dancing her heart out in the neon lights. Star smiled at him, and he smiled at her. Then, her face fell.</p><p>Marco looked behind him. Three figures in all black emerged from a portal, right in front of Ponyhead.</p><p>"They're taking her to St. Olga's." Star whispered. She said it again, as if she didn't believe it. "Marco, they're taking her to St. Olga's."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Original author's note:<br/>This AU started when I came up with a very specific what-if. I find it difficult to write canon-adherent fanfics, so I just gave up and went wild. This is how I would write SVTFOE, but not necessarily a "fixing"/"critique" of the series. I've been inspired by media that was probably nothing like the ones Nefcy was, so my SVTFOE is very different from hers, but should still be vaguely recognizable. I also might've upped the maturity rating a bit; I'm not sure.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. horse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>[ The Diazes' Home, Earth ]</p><p>When they took Ponyhead, she had dropped her dimensional scissors. Now, those were the key to saving her. Despite Marco wanting absolutely nothing to do with the rescue, he found himself in a pink, fluffy dress and fake ponytail almost the height of his body the next morning.</p><p>"Is this really necessary?" He asked.</p><p>"It's St. Olga's School for Wayward Princesses, Marco." Star said.</p><p>There was no convincing her, was there?</p><p>"I think you look good in a dress." A figure dropped from the ceiling, dressed in all black.</p><p>Marco flinched. "Janna! How did you—?"</p><p>"Keys," She said, tossing them to him.</p><p>"Weren't those in my poc—?"</p><p>"You're wearing a dress, Marco. You don't have pockets."Janna was the creepiest girl in high school. She knew anything and everything about whatever you asked her, from what time you got home to where your friend hid their candy. She used to work for the school newspaper, before she was fired for "borderline illegal practices" and "submission of occult articles."</p><p>But, the was most important thing about the black-haired, beanie wearing girl was: nobody made friends with her. Like a cat, she chose you, whether you liked it or not. And in this case, she chose Marco.</p><p>"Anyways, you're a pretty girl, Marco." Janna teased.</p><p>"Shut up," Marco muttered.</p><p>The sound of Star's wand activating broke their conversation. They turned to Star, and Marco blinked to make sure he knew what he was seeing. Star was dressed in punk rocker clothes, with a black leather jacket and red-and-black pants. Looking down, even her shoes had changed to black heels. The only thing that remained untouched was her hair with its red devil headband. Who would want to ruin such perfection?</p><p>Marco felt a twinge of annoyance at that thought and suppressed it. This was Star he was thinking about.</p><p>"Are you coming with us?" Marco asked Janna.</p><p>"Hell yeah. I wouldn't want to miss breaking a flying horse head out of princess boarding school." She said.</p><p>Star smiled—well, she was always smiling, but she smiled wider.</p><p>[ St. Olga's Reform School For Wayward Princesses, unknown ]</p><p>The castle before them looked like something out of the Addams Family. It was a dull gray and stuck into the sky as if it were a knife on meat, and seemed to stare down at the group. The windows were filled with yellow light, but there was no one in them. Marco swallowed, trying to push away his sense of unease.</p><p>"Cool," Janna whispered.</p><p>Marco imagined her living in the castle with a vampire, and probably an undead gerbil. She'd wake up each morning and feed the gerbil, then say hello to the vampire. It would one hundred percent be like the Addams Family. He snorted, his nervousness gone in lieu of amusement.</p><p>"What's so funny?" Janna asked.</p><p>"I should've expected that." Marco said.</p><p>Star put her hands on their shoulders. "Come on, guys! Let's goooo!"</p><p>"Where?" Marco asked.</p><p>She pointed to the gate—which was about as terrifying and pointy as the rest of the castle—where a group of armored creatures were escorting princess out of a carriage.</p><p>Marco sighed as he realized the purpose of the dress. He turned to Janna, who grinned at his displeasure.</p><p>"I hate y—" Star put a finger to his lips.</p><p>"Shh, Marco! We need to go." She said overdramatically.</p><p>"Fine, fine," Marco muttered.</p><p>Star grabbed his hand and sprinted into the line of princesses. They stopped at the end and marched with the line, Marco trying not to trip over his dress. The task grew increasingly difficult as the guards began to prod him. Nevertheless, he managed to get into the castle without seeing the floor at eye level.</p><p>The guards had them line up like prisoners in movies, and for a second Marco wondered if that's what they really were; not girls, not princesses, but filthy delinquents about to be put in their place. He also reminded himself that he wasn't a girl... or a princess. It would be cool to be one, though. A prince—not a princess. He was a boy... and he already said that, didn't he?</p><p>A wrinkly, gray humanoid entered the room with a stern look on his face. His eyes were hidden behind dark green goggles, but the contempt in them was apparent.</p><p>"Princesses!" He said in a gruff, elderly-sounding voice. "I am Gemini, the new head of this school. You were sent here because you are disgraces. Every single one of you! You will learn how to behave and manage a kingdom or queendom, but for today, we'll focus on the basics. There will be no magic in this building. Any artifacts such as dimensional scissors will not work, so you should hand them over now."</p><p>As he spoke the last sentence, the guards began patting down the princesses. Marco exchanged a worried glance with Star, his muscles tensing with anxiety. He pulled out the dimensional scissors from his hidden pocket (Haha, Janna! He did have pockets!) and held them out. The guard eyed him with suspicion.</p><p>"Here," Marco said, his voice trembling. "It's all I have."</p><p>A searing pain burned on his hand, a slap but a million times worse, and he dropped the scissors. Gemini glared at him, a switch held tightly in his hand. Marco put two and two together and grimaced.</p><p>"Lesson one: speak only when spoken to," Gemini said.</p><p>—</p><p>They had spent the entire day learning "lessons" such as—don't ask for things from anyone but a servant; always speaks with a cheery and light tone, even when you're dying inside; and worst of all, proper dress and etiquette. That's where they were now, and it seemed to Marco that the wardens—uh, teachers—thought they should all be the same. After some instruction, they had left them to practice alone because of an incident in the dorms.</p><p>Marco stared at his teacup. "You know what? Screw this."</p><p>He slapped it to the floor. The shattering sound was quiet, but everyone turned to look at him like he was a rabid dog or a car crash on the highway. Fueled by anger and determination, he stood up.</p><p>Star grabbed the end of his dress. "Marco—"</p><p>"It's not criminal to be an individual!" He said. The crowd stared back at him blankly. "We can fight back! There's only a few guards in this place, and hundreds—probably thousands—of us! Gemini is trying to strip us of our individuality, but I won't let him take mine! Will you let him take yours?"</p><p>A quiet shout echoed from the back of the room. "It's not criminal to be an individual!"</p><p>Marco repeated the line. More people joined in. He repeated until he had the whole crowd chanting, reveling in their shouts—until, suddenly, he was dragged out of the room.</p><p>"Great distraction, Marco!" Janna said.</p><p>"Yeah, distraction," He said. That was totally what he meant to do. He didn't at all intend to start a full-scale rebellion and ruin the school—he just wanted a distraction so they could break out Ponyhead. Sure.</p><p>But, maybe being Princess Marco wasn't so bad.</p><p>—</p><p>The search wasn't long. Each dorm was labeled with the occupant's name. They were all the same: blank, white walls with a beige carpet, a bed in the corner, and a nightstand. There wasn't a single unique thing in any of them, not even a trinket or keychain, other than the occupants, who all greeted them with the same exact words like an NPC in a video game.</p><p>When they entered Ponyhead's dorm, she said the same thing, too.</p><p>"Hello there. What are you doing here?"</p><p>Her hair was braided and slung to the side, and her face held no expression. With her dead eyes, she could've been a post-mortem painting.</p><p>"Ponyhead!" Star said, stepping forward. "It's us! We're here to break you out!"</p><p>"Oh, no," Ponyhead said emotionlessly. "That's not good. Guards!"</p><p>Marco cringed. He didn't know what sort of brainwashing could be done with magic, but it must've been deep. Star, ever the fearless idiot, grabbed Ponyhead and sprinted. Janna and Marco exchanged glances before the former bolted as well.</p><p>"This definitely can't go any worse." Marco muttered as he took off after them.</p><p>—</p><p>He wasn't wrong, but he wasn't right either. As they passed the cafeteria, it was pandemonium. The princesses were shouting and screaming, and through the noise it took a moment for Marco to realize that they were fighting back. A wave of pride rushed through him at his creation before he remembered why he was here.</p><p>A princess stopped terrorizing a guard to wave to him. He waved back. Then, she leaped back into the fray with a cry: "It's not criminal to be an individual!"</p><p>Someone poked him on the shoulder, but he ignored it, still in awe of everything around him. Then, they poked him again.</p><p>"Marco!" Star yelled. "Let's go!"</p><p>"But—"</p><p>"Marcoooo!"</p><p>He may be running now, but someday, he'd come back. He needed Princess Marco as much as the princesses at St. Olga's did, even if he'd never admit it.</p><p>"Can I keep the dress?" He asked.</p><p>—</p><p>After that, it was only a matter of running through the halls. The guards were too preoccupied with the uprising to catch them. However, Ponyhead wouldn't snap out of it. When they reached the gates, she still continued to cry for the guards.</p><p>"Ponyhead, c'mon!" Star whined, a tinge of sadness in her voice. Tears formed in her eyes and she let out a sob. "Ponyhead, it's me!"</p><p>Marco couldn't stand to look at it. It was all too jarring—just a day ago, Star had been an annoying, happy-go-lucky stranger, and Ponyhead had been a passive-aggressive jerk. Now, Star crumbled before him like a ruin and Ponyhead stood and spoke like a broken robot.</p><p>He looked to Janna. The normally amused, snarky girl was frozen. She had locked down like a computer running a faulty script. It was Marco's turn to say something.</p><p>"I'm sure we can find a way to fix her, Star. We need to go."</p><p>Star looked up at him. "R-really?"</p><p>"Yeah, Star! I'm sure I have a ritual in my books somewhere." Janna chimed in, no longer stuck.</p><p>Then, it hit him.</p><p>"Hang on, how are we going to leave?"</p><p>Janna smirked and handed him a pair of dimensional scissors. "I grabbed them off a guard when we were running."</p><p>"Janna, you're beautiful!" Marco said.</p><p>He opened the portal and they hopped in as quickly as they could. They were so focused on leaving that they missed a very important detail: someone had followed them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Original author's note:<br/>My sister and I were discussing this AU (about a week ago as of writing this), and I was looking for events to add that wouldn't feel too much like filler. She brought up Princess Turdina and I decided that I had to write her in (I wasn't planning on having St. Olga's in the story at all for reasons that will become apparent later) because the world is worse without her.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. fangs and feathers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The OC is introduced.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Marco woke up in the morning, he didn't expect it to be because he was licked on the face. He opened his eyes and immediately jumped back. He didn't own a cat, and certainly not one with horns and a fang. It meowed at him, though it sounded more like the roar of a baby tiger.</p><p>Tentatively, he reached out a hand to stroke it. It meowed again and brushed itself against his arm. Its fur was soft and silky smooth, the type of thing Marco had only felt in bedspreads.</p><p>"You like being petted, don't you?" Marco cooed, unable to resist its fluffiness.</p><p>The cat purred a low, friendly rumble and curled up on his legs as he sat up. It blinked at him with its amber eyes and yawned.</p><p>"Where'd you come from, huh?" He asked.</p><p>The cat didn't respond. It just continued to purr. Marco petted it again, getting lost in its soft fur.</p><p>Then, his door flew open.</p><p>"Marcooo!" Star said, strolling right in. "We need to—oh corn, what is that? Don't worry Marco, I'll save you!"</p><p>She leaped at the cat, which jumped off the bed. Instead of hitting her target, she landed on Marco, crushing him.</p><p>He breathed in weakly. "Uh, Star. It's just a cat."</p><p>"Nonono, Marco! That's a monster! It's going to eat you! Where is it?"</p><p>"It's just a cat, Star!"</p><p>The cat leaped onto the side of the bed and hissed at Star. She aimed her wand at it.</p><p>"Narwhal bla—"</p><p>Marco shoved her hand to the side.</p><p>"Marcooo!" She complained.</p><p>"I'm not going to let you hurt some stray cat just because you think it's a monster."</p><p>The cat trilled as if to say, You tell her, Marco!</p><p>"Fine," Star said, then stared at the cat. "But I got my eye on you."</p><p>"So, uh, why'd you come into my room?" Marco said, trying to change the subject.</p><p>"Janna thinks she knows a way to help Ponyhead. We can't not go."</p><p>Oh, yeah. Right. Ponyhead had been staying at Janna's as she tried various fixes, from satanist blood rituals to throwing her across the room. So far, none of them had worked.</p><p>"Alright. Let me get ready and we'll go." Marco said.</p><p>—</p><p>"We are not taking that monster, Marco!" Star said.</p><p>Tiny Fang chortled. A monster they may be, but not nearly as intolerant as the mewman. That was the true monstrosity here.</p><p>They couldn't speak for fear of scaring the boy—Marco, it was—but at least they could still observe and commentate. The day they lost their ability to think would be a sad day indeed.</p><p>"What's the difference between this cat and a puppy, Star? What's the difference between Ponyhead and a 'monster' like this kitty?" Marco said, borderline growled.</p><p>Tiny Fang trilled in support. There was no difference! Both of them were talking animals! They weaved between Marco's legs with a purr.</p><p>"Do not bring Ponyhead into this, Marco!"</p><p>Star's voice pierced Tiny Fang's ears and they flinched. Not good, not good. They dove behind Marco's legs. Being chased and having weapons trained on them was one thing, but yelling? Tiny Fang wasn't used to that.</p><p>They were thrown back to their time with their adoptive brother—the yelling, the crying, the hitting, not being able to help him...</p><p>They growled a low, rumbling noise that turned into a miniature roar and leaped at Star, latching their teeth into her knee. She let out a cry and readied her wand. Tiny Fang was about to bite again when they felt a hand on their scruff. The scent was familiar and comforting, a mixture of nacho cheese and pine-scented deodorant—it was the boy.</p><p>Tiny Fang released their grip and trembled. Their body went rigid as they were lifted away. Was he angry?</p><p>"You go ahead, Star. I'll catch up." Marco said, placing Tiny Fang on the floor.</p><p>A sense of panic immediately overtook Tiny Fang and after the door shut, they yowled, "Please don't hurt me!"</p><p>"W-what?" Marco said.</p><p>"D-don't hurt me!"</p><p>"I wasn't going to hurt you, uh..."</p><p>"T-Tiny Fang. My name is... Tiny Fang." They said, shaking.</p><p>"Okay, Tiny Fang. So, you can talk?"</p><p>"Wh-what do you th-think I just did?"</p><p>Marco frowned. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"</p><p>"I thought you'd kick me out." They said.</p><p>"I wouldn't have." Marco said sincerely. The boy had a way with sincerity—he felt so genuine.</p><p>"Are... are you going to tell Star?" Tiny Fang asked.</p><p>"I don't think she'd be surprised, but I don't have to if you don't want me to." Marco said.</p><p>Tiny Fang flinched as they felt his hand behind their head, but relaxed as they felt the familiar caress of a pat.</p><p>"Please don't. At least, not yet. I'll tell her eventually," Then, they paused. "Am I... staying?"</p><p>"If you want to. I'm sure my parents won't mind too much." He looked back into the kitchen, where a laser burned the rope off of a hanging container. "They took in the laser puppies, and I didn't even want them."</p><p>Tiny Fang chuckled.</p><p>"Now, let's get going before Star challenges someone to a duel to the death."</p><p>Needless to say, Janna's new method didn't quite work. However, when Marco showed up, Ponyhead did insult him. Tiny Fang didn't understand what that meant, but apparently, it was a good thing. They were still prepared to slap the floating horse head regardless. No one insults a clowdermate.</p><p>—</p><p>"Marcoooo!" Star's shout rang through the hallway, jolting Marco from his sleep.</p><p>He sat up groggily. "Starrr, it's Sunday."</p><p>The door to his room was flung open violently as Tiny Fang jumped with a screech. They fell off the bed and laid growling on the floor.</p><p>"Marco! We need to go now!" Star said.</p><p>Marco yawned. "Why?"</p><p>"I can't find my wand charger!"</p><p>"Isn't it, like, in the bathroom or something?"</p><p>"No! I looked everywhere, and it needs to be charged now!"</p><p>"Can't you just, like... charge it later?" Marco said, yawning.</p><p>Star stared at him as if his words were blasphemy. "Uh, no! If the wand dies, it dies for good, Marco!"</p><p>Tiny Fang leaped back onto Marco's lap with an annoyed growl and blinked wearily at Star.</p><p>"Oh... Okay. Whatever." He said, yawning. "I'll get up in a minute."</p><p>—</p><p>The store she took him to, Quest Buy, was massive. Shelves towered over the group the size of redwood trees, stocked to the brim with products, half of which Marco couldn't even recognize. The hallways were wide, so wide that he probably could have driven a car through them (not that he could drive, anyway).</p><p>"Are there maps for this place?" Marco said.</p><p>"Yeah, but we totally won't need them!" Star said. "The wand chargers should be... uh... this way!"</p><p>She took off in a seemingly random direction, dragging Marco with her. Tiny Fang let out a disgruntled meow from their perch on his shoulder. The group ended up in another one of the countless aisles, this one the same as the last: light blue shelves that stretched into unseeable air with countless products that Marco couldn't even name.</p><p>"Star?"</p><p>"Um, that way!"</p><p>This went in for what felt like hours—Star rushing in one direction, then the other as she forgot where she was. Marco's wrist was beginning to hurt from being held so tightly. He had enough.</p><p>"Star," He said, yanking his wrist from her grip. "We need to—"</p><p>Suddenly, a cry echoed through the aisle, "Get that wand!"</p><p>Tiny Fang's claws dig into Marco's shoulder, making him flinch. Barreling down the hallway towards the group was a small troop of creatures—presumably, monsters—yelling furiously.</p><p>Tiny Fang launched themself onto the smallest of the monsters, a birdlike, sickly green one. Before Marco could see the two start to wrestle, he was thrown into the shelves. A giant deer creature snorted at him like a cartoon bull preparing to charge. And that, it did. He let out a pained cry as its horns crashed into his chest, his lungs on fire.</p><p>"Get off of me!" Marco yelled, shoving it back weakly. Then, he kicked the creature in the stomach. Its hold released and Marco sank to the floor, fighting to catch his breath. Each inhale was agony, but he tried to ignore the pain. He stood, readying himself to continue the fight.</p><p>The anthropomorphic deer charged again, but this time Marco knew what to do. As it ran, he grabbed its horns and hoisted himself onto its back, a wave of pain crashing over him as his chest tensed during the landing.</p><p>"Oh, you little—get off, get off!" It—presumably, he (Marco wanted to avoid using "it" to describe monsters as much as possible after meeting Tiny Fang)—said.</p><p>Marco grabbed the monster's horns, only irritating the latter further. The deer turned his head sharply, and Marco slipped off, feet dragging on the floor as he dangled by the other's horns. Then, he was sailing through the air, hands burning. He crashed into a shelf—for the second time in this fight—and gasped like a fish.</p><p>"Marco!" Tiny Fang's high-pitched yowl sounded from nearby. He turned to the noise. Tiny Fang was still fighting the bird creature, but was obviously winning. The bird struggled beneath them, held to the floor by their slender paws.</p><p>Star also turned to the noise. The ground around her was filled with various magical creatures that weren't there before—narwhals, kittens, and even a spider—and copious puddles of water.</p><p>"Narwhal Blast!" Star called, her wand shooting narwhals like a water from a water gun. They hit the monster in front of her—a giant, red, lobster—and he shrieked.</p><p>Marco stood up shakily and locked eyes with Star. It was a silent gesture—'I'm going to do this myself,' he tried to say. 'Let me do it.'</p><p>He charged at the monster with a yell and slammed his hand down. There was skin and fur under his hands, then nothing. The thud of the monster's fall sending vibrations through the soles of his shoes.</p><p>He did it.</p><p>Star blinked at him, frozen. Was she impressed... surprised...?</p><p>Tiny Fang released their hold on the bird, who scrambled onto his feet without grace.</p><p>"Run!" He yelled in a shrill voice.</p><p>Marco smiled, adrenaline still buzzing in his veins.</p><p>—</p><p>The castle walls were cold as ice and the room was dark, making the short, birdlike creature walking down the hallway shudder. His steps were light and tentative like a prey animal's—which he was. The mission was a success to some degree, but it still felt like a failure. What kind of leader intentionally lost?</p><p>From the throne, emotionless serpent eyes stared down at him. He searched the air around him for his sister, but she wasn't there now. She was off on her task, and wouldn't be able to return for a while.</p><p>"How did the mission go?" The reptilian asked.</p><p>"We found the princess at Quest Buy like you said, sir. We fought her, Tiny Fang, and that Marco boy, and retreated like you asked."</p><p>The lizard nodded. "Good work. How was the fight?"</p><p>"The Princess is strong with her magic, even though she just got the wand. Tiny Fang is skilled, as expected. Marco is only a human, so he's the weakest. He was barely able to defeat Beard Deer."</p><p>"That's..." He froze, picking his words carefully. "Satisfactory. You did well, Ludo. You're dismissed."</p><p>Ludo nodded and exited the room hurriedly. Even if he was the one that released the Monster Prince from his prison, he couldn't hold a candle to the latter's power. The septarian had an aura of danger that couldn't be mimicked.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Original author's note:<br/>ere, we meet my Glossaryck replacement. I was trying to avoid OCs, so they're the only significant one. Everyone else is canon in some way.</p><p>They're important to the plot and more fitting to the themes of this AU's story than Glossaryck would've been. Plus, I can't write without the presence of a feline character. It's a law of the universe.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>All of the chapters currently posted (1-3) and their author's notes are from January and February of this year. I finally decided to go, "Fuck it! Time to enjoy myself!" and go through my old fics to see what they were like. I only skimmed the chapters so there may be some stupid typos. Please point those out.</p><p>If you'd like an update, please let me know because it's been so long since I've worked on this and I live off of validation.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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